DEAN KAMEN: We attended only the second day. I thought the DRC was very exciting on many different fronts. First, countless people in different stages of their careers, from high schoolers to graduate students to post-doctorates, were affiliated with FIRST. Second, it was exciting to see the difficult problems presented to the participants. Then, to see the participants grapple with the reality of completing the challenging tasks.

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PM: Did you speak with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) teams? Several people I spoke with were FIRST alums—that must feel good to see.

DK: Yes, I spoke with the WPI teams. They certainly put in a lot of time and effort. I was impressed with their preparation and work.

PM: How do you think the future of mobile robotics will evolve? What market niches could mobile robots fill in the future, here and abroad?

DK: I believe that mobile robotics will become critical in various environments where humans are put in dangerous situations, such as the military and disaster relief response. Eventually, mobile robotics will be particularly valuable as the population ages and becomes in need of personal assistance.